Wick support for devotional lights



Nov. 17, 1942.

H. H. RooT ETAL WICK SUPPORT FOR DEVOTIONAL LIGHTS Filed Feb. 20, 1940SSI:

I l J lNvENToRs '1' Hew HRoo KARL Rav ATTORNEY;

Patented Nov. l?, i942 ssrn@ wrox snrroar Fon nnvo'rionni. Lren'rsapplication February 20, 1940, Serial No. 319,852

6 Claims.

i This invention relates to the class or type of devotional light devicewhich is exemplified by U. S. Reissue 18,623 to Huber H. Root, October18, 1932, and particularly to an improvement in wicks for light devicesof said type or class.

The type of light device referred to comprises an upright elongatedtranslucent or transparent container for solid fuel Which lattersupplies a wick disposed centrally of the fuel body and normallysupported in central position by the fuel. When the device is used, e.g., as a sanctuary light, the flame is required to burn continuouslyfrom initial lighting of it until practically all be fuel is consumed,and during all of this time (seven or eight days), .it is essential tothe purpose that the flame or light emanating therefrom be clearlyobservable at a considerable distance away from the'device.

The most satisfactory material for the translucent or transparentJcasing or container for the fuel is glass. This may be a bottle as shownin said reissue patent, Fig, 3, or an open jar. It may be simply a tube.In any case, the glass wall has to be thick enough so that itnecessarily absorbs and retains considerable heat. Such retained heat isof great advantage in a light device of said type which is properlydesigned, because--particularly at the start of the burning period-theretained heat assists greatly in maintaining the glass Wall opposite theexposed portion of the burning Wick free from solid fuel such'as mightotherwise obscure the ame and, later, melt and drown the ame. After thecritical starting period, there is less likelihood of a rim of solidfuel remaining on the glass wall opposite the llame, because the area ofglass exposed to the heat of the flame progressively increases as thefuel is consumed. However, if the temperature outside the casing isrelatively high-well above normal, as in hot climatesso much melted fuelstands on top of the solid fuel that the Wick becomes unsupportedlaterally at a distance of several inches from the lighted end whichprojects above the fuel, and the unsupported portion of the wick is aptto bend until either the flame touches the glass Wall or the top of theWick becomes submerged in the melted pool of fuel. If the flame touche-sthe wall, it is likely to crack the glass, and, of course, if the tip ofthe wick is submerged, the name is extinguished.

For the above reasons, Wicks for the type of lights referred to usuallyhave reinforcing cores or centers which are either combustible orfusible. Such cores are expected to maintain upright whatever upperportions of respective Wicks become laterallyA unsupported by solid fuelunder abnormal conditions such as mentioned above. Metal wire of lowfusion point, for example lead, used as a core, is too soft to hold theotherwise unsupported upper end portion of the Wick erect when suchunsupported portion attains a length of several inches. Moreover, leadand other metals which will fuse or melt when exposed olirectly to theheat of a candle llame react with fuels such as commonly used in thelight devices, leaving a scummy film on the inside of the casing, whichlm partially obscures the light ofthe name. Combustible stiffeningmaterial such as bamboo has been used in attempts to overcome thediculties experienced With stiffening material which melts olf at thewick tip.

Bamboo splint cores or centers for wicks are capable of holding thewicks erect when the solid fuel is melted to unusual depths, but the useof bamboo has several drawbacks. Straight bamboo splints can be obtainedonly in short lengths, hence bamboo cannot be supplied as a continuousstrand during braiding or Weaving of the wick threads about the core.Therefore, the splints have to be inserted by hand in hollow braidedwicking. This is a slow tedious process and, moreover-because thesplints vary in cross-sectional size and shape and in surfacesmoothness-the wicks, so stifened, are not uniform because of crowdingand stretching of the wick fabric rduring such insertion of the splints,and the wicks burn irregularly. The combustible centers, such as bamboo,absorb fuel and burn away with the strand part of the Wick, adding tothe carbon and ash deposit which preferably should be minimized.

It has also been proposed to use iine wire intertwined or interwovenwith the wick strands parallel thereto or Wrapped helically about thewicking with the idea of stiffening the same. This requires eitherabrupt kinks or open coils in the wire, and if the wire is sufficientlyline so that oxidation or fusion of the wire occurs by contact with theflame, then the wire, because of its shape, is inherently too flexibleto serve the purpose. On the other hand, if the wire is so heavy that,notwithstandingV the kinking or coiling of it, it will not oxidize or beconsumed when exposed to the llame and will have Sullicient stiffnessproperly to serve the purpose, notwithstanding the coils or kinks, thenthe carbon and ash cling indefinitely to the wire and cause excessivesmoking.

An object of the present invention is to provide non-consumablereinforcing means for wicks of devotional lights of the type or classidentified above and which are sufficiently high or deep so that thewick under certain conditions may become laterally unsupported below theflame for a considerable distance, as several inches, and whichreinforcing means cooperates with the casing in a manner to retain thewick in an effective operating position regardless of the depth to whichthe fuel may be melted and ineffective as a support for the wick.

A further object is to provide a devotional light of said type or classand of upright elongated form and including a translucent or transparentcasing, as of glass, functioning as a vessel for maintaining melted fuelin cooperative relation to the wick, irrespective of the depth of suchmelted fuel, wherein the flame-supporting portion of the wick cannotmove so far from the center of the casing as to endanger the casing andcannot become immersed in the melted fuel and drown the name.

Other objects will be made apparent below.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 is a central vertical sectional View ofa devotional light incorporating the invention and prior to lighting thewick; Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the wick lighted and the fuelpartially consumed; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Figs, 1 and 2 showing adifferent type of casing for the fuel, and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary Viewshowing diagrammatically the manner in which the non-consuming reinforcefor the wicking may be incorporated with wicking as a continuousoperation.

In Fig. 1, a glass casing l contains normally solidified fuel 2 andcentral wick 3. The casing is in the form of a bottle with a gradualrestriction 4 and a rim portion 5. A suitable supporting piece 6 for thewick lies on the bottom wall of the bottle so that near the end of theburning period the wick will stand upright when the heat of the flamehas melted all the fuel remaining near the end of the burning period.The casing l usually is contained in a display cylinder of glass, e. g.ruby glass, not shown. As indicated in Fig. 4, the wick 3 preferably ismade from cotton or other threads or strands 'l' which are suppliedcontinuously from bobbins or spools and braided or interwoven about acentral strand which is also supplied continuously from a coil. In theillustration, the central strand comprises a non-consumable wire core l0and constitutes the reinforcing means or stiifener of the presentinvention. The wire l0, as supplied from a coil, can be straightened bypassage through a suitable straightening mechanism before it passes tothe region in which it is enveloped .by the strands 'l to form thecomplete wick. Thus the wick has no inherent tendency to bend in anydirection when unsupported. The central strand or core Il) is preferablysoft stainless steel, in which case it can be a very fine wire, such asfrom 35 to 28 gage (B 8i S .0056" to .0l25). The reinforcing means orstiffener I0 can be much larger, however, irrespective of the kind ofmetal used. For some uses, the wick material may be woven, twisted orotherwise formed and the stiffener incorporated.

Although copper, aluminum, or ordinary steel wire can be used if thewire is coarse enough, they are not as desirable or as satisfactory.Rubrical lights require beeswax and copper reacts with cerotic acidforming a greenish nlm on the casing. Iron oxidizes rapidly and, unlessa fairly coarse wire is used, an iron or ordinary steel center warps outof shape and sometimes is wholly consumed by the oxidation at some partof its length. Aluminum wire, unless fairly large, is apt to bedestroyed by the heat of the ame or too badly weakened to remainsufficiently nearly erect above the flame to provide a complete solutionof the problem or the fulfilment of all the objects of the invention.Synthetic materials which are not reducible by or combustible in theheat of a candle flame may also be used to fulfil all the purposeshereof, providing the same can be made in continuous strand form, befairly stiff, and remain substantially straight under the operatingconditions described. One such ma.-

terial is known as synthetic mica (Alsimag). It

is believed that this is not available as a commercial product at thepresent time.

Referring further to the drawing, it will be noted that so long as thefuel is solid as in Fig. l, and, after lighting, so long as only ashallow pool of melted fuel occurs at the top of the solid fuel, thereis no danger of the usual wick being un supported and causing the flameto become drowned or to come into contact with the glass casing.

When, however, the pool becomes several inches deep, (see 8, Figs. 2 and3), as it does if outside temperature is high and no means are providedto cool the casing, the ordinary wick can bend as at 3a, Fig. 2, withresultant submergence of the tip. Where the pool is excessively deep,say five or six inches, the bending of the wick causes the glass to becracked as explained above.

The stiifener I of the present wick normally remains nearly erect, asshown in full lines, Fig. 2, even though the pool 3 is several inchesdeep. If it does bend over, the bending is limited, as indicated at 3b,Fig. 2, by engagement of the stiffener I8 with the casing wall which,assuming the casing is in the form of a bottle, is at the restrictedneck. Essentially the same result is attained when no restriction ispresent when the core is in an open jar l5, as indicated at 3d in Fig.3. Special means may, of course, be used to maintain the upper end ofthe stiffener l0 more nearly centrally of the casing. A cap IG which iscentrally apertured as at I1 for entrance of air and/or exit of productsof combustion is indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 3 and isillustrative of means separate from the glass casing for engagement withand support of the bared end of the stiiener Il) of the wick when suchis required by consumption of fuel to a point well below the top, ormelting of the fuel to any distance down from the top. The position ofthe bared stiifener when it engages the inner rim of such a device asthe cap lI6 is indicated at 3c.

The reinforcing means or stiffener should have a smooth surface and thesame should remain smooth after subjection to the heat of the flame, andthe reactions set up by the burning of the wick, so that residualproducts such as carbon and ash will drop off below the flame tip.

It is preferable that the reinforcing means or stiffener be such that itis not oxidized when subjected to the heat of the flame. Oxidation woulddestroy the smooth and shiny surface. A stainless steel wire with theusual wick material braided thereabout and intimately enveloping thewire meets all of the requirements hereinbefore described and theresultant wick is well suited for its intended purposes, andparticularly for use in connection with fuel bodies comprisingessentially beeswax and mineral oil, the beeswax being fifty per cent ormore of the total.

We claim:

1. A combined candle -wick and stiffener for the purposes described andcomprising a self sustaining tube of combustible pliable material whichtube is incapable of supporting itself Without bending when extendingupwardly free from lateral support for a height of several inches, and

a supporting substantially straight smooth sur-Y faced core member ofmaterial which will not become consumed or melted when in contact with acandle flame and of small cross section relative to the tube andsubstantially coextensive endwise therewith, said member being embeddedin the pliable material for substantially the entire length of said tubeand being capable, in itself, of supporting itself and the tubesubstantially without bending when the member is resting on one of itsends and is leaning against a support at its other end.

2. A combined candle wick and stiffener for the purposes described andcomprising an outer tube of combustible pliable material incapable ofself support in upright position without bending and a substantiallystraight stiening core of stainless steel of small cross sectionrelative to the tube and extending substantially centrally thereof forsubstantially the entire length of said tube.

3. In a light for the purposes described and including an elongatedupright generally translucent casing, a quantity of fuel therein, and awick in said fuel and extending generally axially of the casing out ofcontact therewith for substantially the entire length of the wick, anonfusible, non-combustible substantially straight stiifener of smallcross section relative to the cross section of the wick embedded in thewick centrally thereof and extending lengthwise ofthe wick for its fulllength, said stifener being of suflicient length to be supported at itslower end at or near the bottom of the casing while the stiffener isexposed by burning away of the upper end portion of the wick and isleaning against a wall portion of the casing at its upper end, and beingcapable, in itself, while in said leaning condition and free from thewick at its upper end, of supporting a flame on the upper end of theremaining portion of the wick out of contact with the casing wall. .f

4. In a light of the general character described and including anelognated upright generally translucent casing, a normally pliable wickextending generally axially of the casing and normally out of contacttherewith for substantially the entire length of the wick, and a body offuel within the casing and surrounding the wick, a substantiallystraight non-fusible stiii'ener forming a core for the wick and ofsuffi-cient length relative to the casing to extend from near the centerbottom portion of the casing to the upper portion of the side wall ofthe casing, said stiffener being capable, in itself, of supporting thewick while the wick is ignited and while the stiffener is leaningagainst the casing at the upper wall portion of the casing upwardlybeyond the burning portion, whereby the burning portion of the wick isconstrained by the stiffener to a position above the level of the fueland out of contact with the casing.

5. A devotional light comprising a translucent casing capable ofretaining melted fuel in contact with wall portions of the casingthrough which light from a flame inside the casing would normally bevisible, a solid fuel body and wick in said casing, the wick beingnormally retained by the fuel body centrally of the casing, said fuelbody containing a substantial percentage of beeswax, and a stiifeningcore for the wick substantially coextensive therewith which core isnonfusible and non-consumable in the heat of the flame, so that the corecan support the unburned portion of the wick as by contact with thecasing a considerable distance upwardly beyond the flame, and which coreis chemically inert with respect to said fuel when heated b the flame,whereby the visibility of the flame through the casing wall will notbecome impaired by deposit of reaction products on said casing wall.

6. In a light of the general character described and including anelongated upright casing having a translucent side wall, a normallypliable wick extending generally axially of the casing, and a body offuel within the casing and surrounding the wick, a non-fusible andnon-combustible stiifener operatively connected to the wick for its fulllength and capable', in itself, of supporting the wick while the wick isignited and while the stiifener rests at its lower end at or near thebottom of the casing centrally thereof and is angularly disposed to theaxis of the casing, and means on the casing and engageable with theupper end portion of the stifener materially inwardly toward the centerof the casing from said side wall and operative when so engaged toconstrain the stiifener to a position at such an angle to the axis ofthe casing that the llame on the wick will be spaced from said side wallduring substantially the entire burning operation of the lightnotwithstanding fluidity of the fuel around the wick.

HUBER H. ROOT. KARL RAU.

